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Child care continues to be an issue of affordability and availability for Irish workers and looks set to influence voting patterns at the next general election.
In response to a new survey from recruitment website RecruitIreland.com, 77% of respondents rated the Government's performance on the provision of affordable child care facilities as poor or very poor &em; just 1.9% rated the Government's performance as very good.
Some 78% of respondents also indicated that the availability of child care facilities will influence the way they vote at the next general election. 93% of respondents also think that the Government should make more funds available for child care.
Almost one quarter of respondents spend more on child care than on their mortgage or rent while a further 24% of respondents pay the same for child care as for mortgage. 47% of respondents spend between 501 and 1,100 per month per child care place. 18% spend up to 500 per month per child care place with a further 32% of respondents spending up to 400.
Regarding access to child care facilities, almost 96% of respondents do not have access to child care facilities in work. Instead respondents resort to a variety of child care options with the largest proportion (33%) placing their children in a crèche. Significantly, 29% of respondents rely on family and relations for their child care needs indicating a significant reliance on family support to allow people with children to continue to work.
Finally, employees also state that they are caught in a 'Catch 22' scenario as more than 77% believe that taking parental leave could hinder their chances of promotion at work. Linked to this is the statement by 44% of respondents that they cannot afford to take unpaid parental leave.
- reprinted from Ireland Online